


Angels of Death

by Bosse1337



Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Angels, Gen, Warhmammer 40.000
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:28:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29840847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bosse1337/pseuds/Bosse1337
Summary: The emperor's first search for fallen angels, and encounters something completely different.
Kudos: 1





	1. Astorpaths

**Sword of caliban strike cruiser - Uhulis Sector - Segmentum Tempestus**

Brother-librarian Astorai Koddel felt it. The warps dark fists pounding against his mind. He had been sitting in his chambers for how long he did not know. Meditating searching the warp cautiously. The storms of the warp screaming. And then suddenly he heard their names, the traitors, the fallen angels. Astorai screamed as he opened his eyes. He saw the fallen's faces distorted through the warp. He tried to focus his senses. He needed to know where these traitors have been hiding for millenia. As his concentration grew the images faded. But not as fast as to stop his mid searching. There at the border of the galaxy in an outermost system surrounded by dead space on three sides. Just as he learned the name of the system the vision disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. His world blackened. 

When Astorai stood up he felt weak. This feeling was almost unknown to him. The warp had tared not only at his mind but also at his body during his hunt for knowledge. As he gathered himself and started to walk towards the chamber doors he contemplated over the meaning of his findings. What he had learned today would cause the inner circle to activate the whole chapter. No battle-brother would miss this crusade. He had been waiting for this day for over four centuries. As he took his first steps towards the door he felt as his limbs weighed tons almost too heavy to lift.

As interrogator-chaplain Jophiel Enkidel strode by brother-librarian Astorai’s chambers the doors opened. Out stumbled a large space marine in blue armour. Jophiel nearly collided with him as he took a step back and steadied the librarian with a steady hand.

“What is happening brother?” Jophiel asked. He looked at Astorai. His face was pale and his eyes glowing blue. The librarian tried to speak but only a few words made it out of his lips.

“Fallen, Gatera system.” By the last word the librarian felt how he started to regain his strength. He stood up free of support from brother Jophiel. Jophiel almost screamed the next question but halted himself just before he uttered the words

“The fallen, you know where they are?” The question, almost a statement, was only answered with a nod.

The interrogator-chaplain had been fighting this never ending war for over two hundred years. He had fought both xenos and heretics but his true enemy was the fallen angels. That was the purpose of his existence. Astorai knew he could trust him with all the information he had just learned. He steadied himself and turned towards his brother. 

“I know where they are hiding. In a small system on the outskirts of the galaxy.” Astorai almost whispered. He did not want other people, not privy to the knowledge of the inner circle, to know what they were talking about. He continued:

“Multiple fallen angels have taken up residence on the small world of Gatera II.”

“The inner circle needs to learn this quiqly so that we can act swiftly and hard against these traitors.” Jophiel answered. They both nodded and started to walk quickly towards the lifts which would take them to the higher levels of the ship. Towards the astropaths of the astra telepathica.

**\-----------------**

**The Rock - Ultima Segmentum - Near Ryza**

The serf ran as fast as he could. He was headed towards the Supreme grand master of the chapter’s chambers deep in the rock, the fortress monastery and home base of the dark angels. They had received word from one of the smaller forces in the galaxy tasked with recruitment and they would only deliver their message to the supreme grand master himself. 

The serf had once been a recruit himself but he had failed the different test the chapter had put him through. Thus he had been repurposed to serve the chapter in many other ways. 

As he continued running he soon came upon the large doors of the entrance to the supreme grand masters personal chambers. He had been told to make himself known through the intercom unit placed in the wall of the corridor next to the door. It consisted of a few buttons, a microphone and a speaker.  
  


“Supreme grand master Azriel, there is an urgent message for you.” The serf spoke into the microphone.

The doors hissed and the mechanical parts inside the door started to work. Out strode a tall man clad in green power armour. A large sword at his side. The serf’s heart skipped a beat. He had never seen the supreme grand master up close before.  
“My lord, if you would follow me.” He said, stumbling over his own words. The large man turned towards him.   
“Lead the way serf” Azriel said, his deep voice filling up the space between them. The serf started to jog and the space marine followed him.   
  
As they reached the communication center the supreme grand master sent the serf away. Azriel believed that the information he was about to receive was not for this serf’s ears. When he walked towards the astropaths one waived at him to get his attention. He walked over to her. The astropath was one of the younger in the crew. She had joined them not so long ago together with the reinforcements from primarch Guilliman. Her loyalties he did not know where it lay.   
  


She led him into an enclosed space.  
“We have received word from the Sword of Caliban, They speak of the fallen.” She said.   
“The fallen?” Azriel asked, his mind working at full speed. If they knew of the whereabouts of fallen angels nothing would stand in the chapter's way for retribution.   
“Ask them how many?” he almost shouted.   
“Four or five.” Four or five, Azriel thought, that is one of le largest groups of fallen spotted in millenia 

“Tell them to stay at their location till reinforcement arrives”. 

  
“Who are the fallen?” She asked after receiving confirmation of transmission of the last message. She realised that she shouldn't have asked that question as she met Azriel's eyes. She understood now that she knew too much and that she would not know for much longer as he drew his sword and swung it. It’s blade cracking with blue energy. Her head was cut cleanly from her shoulders and the body fell into a pile of limbs.   
  


The Supreme grand master turned on his heels and almost ran out of the room. He shouted to the other astropaths:

“Recall all forces, and plot a course towards the Sword of Caliban's last location!”

It was time for a hunt. It was time for revenge and to remove some of the stain of treasury which had stained the Dark Angels for over ten millennia.


	2. Imperial tithe

**Gatera II - Gatera System - Segmentum Tempestus**

Governor Amalyn Hart had run the planetary government for over half a century. She had been transferred to this system of planets on the border of the galaxy after a mishap on a large hive world she had been lord governor on. She had run city-sized factories and had a trillion souls working for her. But when the factories started to produce malfunctioning equipment she had attracted the eye of the inquisition. She had barely made it out alive but made it by turning on her subordinates. Instead of getting executed she had been transferred out of the galaxy’s core to a back water system with a stern warning to not make the same mistake again.

Amalyn was not happy to say the least. She had been stuck on this planet since she had been dropped off by a ship run by merchants hired by the inquisitor to transfer her here. But she had never given up the hope to once more run a large system of planets with billions of inhabitants. So when she had been approached by five large men who promised her power once more she almost immediately signed on. The only thing they asked for was access to the system and a small camp for usage as a base to run operations from. They had told her to not pay the imperial tithe because the imperium had forgotten her planet as they so often do. Soon the five large men started to recruit from the nearby farms as soldiers.

The small group's leader told her his name was Andras and that he once too was betrayed by the imperium and that he had decided to make his own way in life. It was during one of their conversations they usually had once a week that he told her about the powers of the warp. He told her that they make you strong and give you power you only can dream about. Amalyn would not say it but she was intrigued. This was what she had been dreaming about for almost half a century. So she allowed him to elaborate and he did so. They spoke for hours and by the ending he had her convinced.

Andras and his group of men had been launching raids on nearby systems to gather weapons and supplies and their militia grew. The former imperial tithe was now used to support almost 200 000 fighting men and women, a third of the planet’s population. The farms are missing personnel but their productivity has gone up by almost 30% after joining the ranks of the ruinous powers. Large portals to other dimensions had been built and weird looking birdmen were now walking amongst the humans of Gatera II.

Today was it time for her talk with Andras and when he showed up at her palace he looked frustrated.  
“Amalyn, nice to see you.” He said as he walked towards her.  
“Andras, you look unhappy.” she replied  
“Is there anything wrong?” She continued worried.  
“We have made a discovery and I have some bad news.” He said as they walked towards her office. She had had it outfitted with an extra large sofa to accommodate him.  
“What we have discovered is a wormhole on the far side of the system. We have probed it and determined that it leads to another galaxy.” He said as he sat down.  
“A wormhole you say, and what of these bad news you were speaking of? She said with trepidation  
“It seems that we have attracted the attention of the imperium” As he said the words an orderly entered Amalyn’s office.  
“My lady, my lord, we have detected two large naval forces exiting warp outside the system. They have cut off our escape paths.”  
“Prepare my vessel” Andras said as he walked towards the door.  
“And governor, you are coming with me.” She could do nothing but follow him.

As they ran through empty corridors of the palace she kept on thinking that it was his fault that they were here to destroy what they had built. That there was no escape and that they would all be destroyed by the ever turning gears of the imperial warmachine. When they finally made it to his ship she said what she had been thinking for long.  
“How are we going to make it out of this alive?”  
“Easily, we use the wormhole.” he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.”  
“Can’t they just follow us?” She asked.  
“I’m counting on it.”  
“What!”  
“I will tell you more later.” he answered her yell.  
“Now prepare for takeoff”

**\-----------------**   
**The Rock - Gatera System - Segmentum Tempestus**

“My lord, we have entered the Gatera system.”  
“Good! Alert our brothers to be ready for battle.” Azrael ordered.  
“My lord, we are detecting another large naval fleet exiting the warp on the other side of the system”  
“Is it imperial or hostile?”  
“Imperial my lord.”  
“Hail them.”  
“Yes my lord.”

The dark angels fleet had made contact with the sword of caliban and made way towards the Gatera system. During the voyage the librarian who made the discovery, brother Astorai Koddel, explained the details of the fallen and the system they were located in. The Gatera system consists of one star and four planets. One dead world closest to the star, Gatera I. An Agriworld, Gatera II. An ice world, Gatera III. And a gas giant, Gatera IV. It was determined that it was most likely to be on the second planet that the fallen angels would be located. An attack plan had been drawn up and companies assigned to different locations. The planetary leadership would also have to be reorganised after the execution of the traitorous officers and administrators who allowed chaos corruption take place on their planet.

“My lord, we have made contact with the other fleet. It appears to be imperial.”  
“Good, let me speak to the officer incharge.”  
“Yes my lord. We have lord admiral Johannes Bosowich on a wox chanel for you”

“Lord admiral Johannes Bosowich?”  
“Yes, and who might you be?  
“I’m supreme grand master Azriel of the Dark Angels, the emperor's first legion.”  
“I’m sorry my lord. I did not know it was you, how may I be of service?  
“You may tell me why you are here lord admiral.”  
“I’m transporting several regiments of astra militarum troops from Krieg. We are here to end the pillaging of nearby systems which all seem to be originating from this cluster of planets. If I may ask, why are you here.”  
“You may not lord admiral. I suggest you stay out of our way, goodbye.” Azriel ended the transmission.  
“Move our ships into position and make ready for planetfall.”  
“My lord, our scans show us an anomaly on the outskirts of the system”  
“What is it”  
“By my data my lord, a wormhole”  
“Interesting. Keep an eye on it and alert me to any new developments.

Azriel started walking, he was headed for the hangars where a thunderhawk stood ready for him to transport him down onto the battlefield. He had tasked interrogator-chaplain Jophiel Enkidel with eliminating the resistance at the planetary governments buildings and the governor's palace. He had put the third company directly under his command and expected them to make short business of the traitors.

The presence of the imperial guard was disturbing. If they had been called it meant that the planet was in open rebellion. This was heading towards a drawn out engagement instead of a quick strike towards the leaders of the heretics and the fallen angels. If the imperial guard also took an interest in the space marines presence they would have to be taken care of. It was not a task Azriel would like but it would be necessary.

**\-----------------**   
**Over Gatera II - Gatera System - Segmentum Tempestus**

Brother chaplain Jophiel Enkidel was strapped in, he had been placed in the drop pod with sargeant Cassiel Tyrrhenir and his squad of veterans. All were clad in their power armour and had large robes over them. They had all previous experience of many wars. Together they fought for over one millenia. Most of them were equipped with plasma weapons, a favoured weapon system by the dark angels since the great crusade.

When the drop pods were ejected from the ship Jophiel felt the forces pull on him. When the drop pods booster engines slowed their descent towards the city below he felt his blood rush towards his feet. The drop was over as quickly as it had begun. When they exited the drop pod it struck him how empty the city was. They had landed in a plaza in front of the governor's palace and the few lifeforms his helmet’s scans showed him appeared to be barricaded in the small houses next to the palace. As he looked up at the sky he could see the streaks of fire from the other drop pod’s descent towards their objectives. He turned towards the others as two more drop pods hit the ground next to him. Out came two squads of tactical marines ready for a fight. Soon after that bright lights flashed as a squad of terminators teleported in together with brother librarian Astorai. Jophiel spoke over the vox.  
“All squads form up around me” The squads followed his order and formed a circle around him.  
“I want the surrounding houses searched and secured. I want the first squad to do that.” He pointed at the sergeant of the third company’s first squad of tactical marines.  
“The rest of you follow me into the palace. The terminator squad will take the lead.”  
“Copy that.” Came as a reply from al squads.

As they began to make their way towards the palace a large dark disk appeared right in front of them on the steps of the palace, and large hordes of bird-like creatures spewed forth. It was clear for Jophiel what this was, a demon incursion. The mission was no longer a recovery of a fallen but a battle against chaos. They started fiering, bolters and plasma ripping through the lines of demons. But the gaps were filled quicker than they were formed. The birdmen started to get closer and closer with every second that passed. Jophiel realised that they would have to find a defendable point where they could fend off the demons if they wanted to survive. He looked around and saw that the first squad had cleared most of the buildings and had directed their attention towards the demons as well. He decided that they could hold one of the buildings and call in air support.  
“All squads regroup at first squad and the buildings”

He started to move across the plaza and saw that the other squads also were doing that. When he made it to the first squad they had already entered a building and were fiering out its windows and doors. When he made it into the building he once again spoke over the vox channel but not with the squads with him but with the fleet command.  
“Fleet command this is interrogator chaplain Jophiel, We have come upon a large demon force and request air support”  
“Copy interrogator chaplain, suport is enroute.” Jophiel felt his mood brighten. It had been long since he had been fighting chaos spawn and they would once again get their ass handed to them by the second company of the dark angels.

Just as he ended that though he heard the unmistakable sound of dark talons, one of the atmospheric fighters of the dark angels. When he looked out a window he saw large white beams of light shoot out of the nose of the fighters as they made their strafing runs towards the enemy. In their wake large empty spaces were left, not even dead bodies remained. More demons fell for the hurricane bolters on the wings of the aircraft. Just as the fighters had finished their runs bright lightnings flashed as five squads of deathwing knights teleported onto the battlefield. Some of the battle brothers teleported into demons making them explode leaving only the knight standing where it previously stood.

The knights killing did not have the same result as the dark talon’s. Instead they left many dead bodies in their wake as they started to clear the plaza together with Jophiel’s squads. Soon they started to push the demons back towards the palace and their portal. When they reached the foot of the stairs the remaining demons turned around and ran back into the portal.  
“Librarian Astorai closed that portal!” Jophiel yelled over the sounds of battle.  
“Will do!” Astorai yelled back as he started to walk towards the portal, smiting any demon brave enough to stand their ground against the psyker.

As they continued past the portal leaving Astorai to his task they came upon humans on barricades of trash and fancy furniture that must have come from the palace. Compared to the demons these people had no chance against the emperor's champions. As the humans opened fire the squads of space marines they were quickly taken care of with carefully placed grande throws. The explosions blew large holes in the barricade and the remaining human defenders were blasted to pieces by the space marines. Jophiel fell into the rhythm of battle as he began to chant battle hymns to inspire his fellow brothers in their fighting.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work. I appreciate comments and constructive criticism


End file.
